Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack Walkthrough & Strategy Guide

Published: Jan 8, 2005

Basic Training

ENEMY STRATEGIES

GRUNT(Unggoy)

The Grunts are notoriously weak, but that doesn't mean you
should ignore them. In numbers, Grunts can be pretty dangerous, especially when left alone. They'll die to most
weapons with just one shot to the head, and the Battle Rifle will take them out with one burst at pretty much
any part of their body. Grunts are also prime targets for sticky plasma grenades—since they're less
likely to dodge than Elites, it's easy to land a sticky on 'em and watch them run into their commrades to rack
up more kills.

JACKAL(Kig-Yar)

Jackals are often equipped with powerful weapons, though
they're relatively slow to fire them. Because of their shields which they almost always keep up, it can be
difficult to fight them at medium range. There are methods of attacking them that are most effective, depending
on the weapons you have equipped. If you've got a gun with a zoom feature, you can zoom in and shoot around
their shield for quick kills (they're pretty weak). If you're stuck with close and medium range weapons, don't
be afraid to run up to them (assuming there are no other enemies around). Because they're so slow to attack,
you can often melee attack them to death without fear of taking any damage. Also, energy-based weapons such as
the Plasma Pistol and Rifle can work well to destroy the shields—when the shield is down, attack with a
bullet-based weapon to seal the deal.

ELITE(Sangheili)

As the main leaders in the Covenant force, the Elites are
always a force to be reckoned with. They can take a significant number of hits before dying, making them
especially fierce opposition when in close range combat. Elites have about the same vitality as Master Chief,
so if you know what it takes to kill enemies in multiplayer you know what it takes to bring down an Elite. If
you are forced into close-range combat, your best bet is to quickly bring down their shields with plasma
weapons and instantly come at them with a quick melee attack to finish the job.

DRONE(Yanme'e)

Though their flight patterns can be confusing and make
them difficult to target, the Drones are hardly any more dangerous than Grunts. They have about the same
vitality as Grunts (they'll die to headshots and quick Battle Rifle bursts), though they're slightly more
intimidating with their mobility. If you're having trouble targeting them while they fly, just wait a
while—they'll eventually land on the ground, giving you an easy shot to take 'em down.

HUNTER(Lekgolo)

Hunters make an interesting opponent. In mid range combat,
they're very difficult to attack as they use their shields to block your shots while coming at you with your
own. Your best bet is in either close or long range combat. If you can target them from afar, you can often get
a good position to aim for the soft red spots on their body. Zoom in and nail those spots to damage the beasts
(Sniper Rifle rounds work great, and the Battle Rifle is also effective). In close range, the best way to
defeat them is to lure them into lunging towards you. As they swing their shields at you, jump and dodge the
attack&dmash;they'll expose their very vulnerable back side as they whiff the punch.

BRUTE(Jiralhanae)

What makes the Brutes so devastating is how aggressive
they are. If you get the attention of a group of Brutes, expect them to come rushing at you together...and
don't expect to get away easily. The best way to deal with Brutes is to pick 'em off singularly. If you can
lure one Brute away from the group (without attracting the attention of the others), you'll have a better
chance of dealing with their speed and power. Sniper Rifle fire and the Battle Rifle are both very effective,
but you'll still have trouble unless you carefully execute them one at a time. A group of Brutes is nothing you
want to deal with.

GENERAL STRATEGIES

Stay mobile! Even when shooting.

This is pretty obvious to first person shooter vets, but
new blood playing Halo 2 might not realize the importance of constantly staying mobile. It's vital that
you learn how to accurately fire your weapons while running and strafing about. If you just stand still and
fire you'll be dead-meat in both the single player campaign and (especially) multiplayer battles.

Pick your weapons wisely, on a level-by-level
basis.

As you can see in our weapons ranking list in this guide
(check the Weapons page), some weapons are most definitely better than
others. However, just because the Energy Blade is absolutely nasty in close range combat doesn't mean you
should pick it up whenever you see it. Consider the level you're on and what range of combat you're most likely
to encounter. In most combat situations (assuming the skill level of both players is somewhat equal), the
player with the best weapon for the situation is going to win.

Don't reload in the middle of a fight.

About the worst situation you can get yourself into is
emptying your weapon's ammo clip in the middle of a firefight. Reloading your weapon should always be a last
resort. You can avoid the situation a couple of ways (most include dual wielding and using both weapons
singularly), but you'll never be able to avoid it entirely. It's important to make sure you have a secondary
weapon equipped (even if it's the same as one of your dual wielded weapons). When you spend all your ammo,
switch to your secondary weapon instead of reloading. You'll have more shots to bury into your opponent much
more quickly than if you had reloaded. Even if the weapon isn't the best for the job, you should have dealt
enough damage with your previous gun to be able to finish the job with your secondary weapon.

Use stealth to your advantage.

Going face-to-face with enemies is always a gamble, and
even if you get the first shot on your opponents the win in combat isn't guaranteed. When possible, use stealth
to your advantage and come up on your opponents with instant-kill melee attacks to the back of the head. All
enemies die with one melee attack to the rear of the dome, which is especially awesome because it allows you to
kill them without getting their attention. If you start a fire fight they'll be able to react before dying
(usually), but an instant kill melee strike is guaranteed to leave you safe.